Communication networks continue to improve in their abilities to efficiently and practically assist terminal-equipment users and society in general in communicating information, such as voice signals, images, electronic files or data, and video signals, to and from a mobile communication device using radio waves. For example, a wireless communication network may include a communication system using one or more of various radio-communication schemes such as represented in recent implementations and proposals of digital (e.g., 3G/4G) cellular, wireless peer-peer, PCS and satellite communication systems.
Wireless communication networks generally include a network of base stations that communicate with various wireless communication devices. Examples of wireless communication devices include telephony devices, wireless readers, radios, personal digital assistants (PDAs), palmtops, notebook computers, and other devices that have wireless communication capability. Each base station provides communication services within its respective network zone, such that the network of base stations provides a number of network zones that can cover a large geographic area. The network zones and their respective coverage areas occasionally change as base stations are improved and added within the wireless communication network. Nearly all of the United States is covered by cellular communication networks, with many of the base stations now providing various forms of the above-mentioned communication systems.
More recently, a number of location-based service applications have been implemented or proposed for wireless communication networks. Examples of such existing or proposed location-based service applications include: emergency service, location-dependent call routing, location-dependent billing, location tracking, and the like. In emergency applications the call and the exact location of the wireless communication device may be routed to the closest provider of emergency services, thus reducing emergency response time and possibly saving lives. In location-dependent billing applications, different billing rates may be charged to a customer for operating the wireless communication device in different geographical areas. Each location-based service application utilizes the location of the wireless communication device.
Location systems sometimes utilize conventional system reference location methods for determining or characterizing the location of the wireless communication device. Such reference location methods operate by relating the location of the wireless communication device to a network zone, e.g., cell or cell sector of the wireless communication network. However, mobile operators face specific and real problems with network resources that may hinder widespread deployment of commercial location-based services. For example, consider a situation where a mobile operator is offering a mix of location-based services to its subscribers. The application mix includes services like fleet tracking, child finder, push advertising, and traffic alerts. These applications generally would like to be notified with location updates when the subscriber is moving, and perhaps with greater frequency when the subscriber is moving more rapidly.
Aspects of the present disclosure can be useful for addressing these various needs and for providing various advantages and uses of location-based information in networks involving mobile terminals. While the present disclosure is not necessarily limited to such aspects, the instant disclosure may be appreciated through a discussion of examples using these and other contexts.